Bit Tet Hai Ty - Hanoi, Vietnam (Old Quarter)

On our first night in Hanoi, we got in pretty late after we said our goodbyes to our tour group. We decided to wander around Old Quarter where our hotel was. I had read that Ta Hien and Luong Ngoc Quyen streets was where bia or freshly brewed beer was sold, so we headed that way, but I'm pretty sure I got us lost because I had no clue where we were, but we saw this brightly lit corner on Hang Giay and Hang Buom lined with plastic tables and stools with people eating food and drinking beer. We said forget the stupid map and joined right in.

It was called Bit Tet Hai Ty. There's a guy who valets motorbikes for you as well - we thought that was pretty amusing. We just saw tables and a guy who valets, but no kitchen. We had no clue where or how they cooked the food, but sometimes things are better left unknown, especially in Vietnam.

We were full from dinner but we ordered some beer and one dish. I think it was spicy squid with celery. It was a stir -fried dish with pieces of squid, onions, tomatoes and what looked like chives. At first we were thinking, where's the celery? I think the chive looking thing must be from the celery family, because I definitely tasted celery, but there were no stalks of celery anywhere in our dish. They gave us a small bowl of soy sauce with chili to dip the squid in.

On the table was a bottle of Chin-Su. I was half expecting a spicy ketchup, but it was actually a sweet chili sauce, which was not spicy at all.

Here's what the place looked like when we left. Everywhere you go, you will just see used napkins on the floor. People just toss them aside after they use them.

This is a scene we would see again and again on this trip. Red tables, blue chairs and white napkins on the floor. I kind of miss it.

Bit Tet Hai Ty

20 Hang Giay (where it meets Hang Buom, I think?)